Athabasca thrift (Armeria maritima) COSEWIC assessment and status report: chapter 5

• Previous page
• Table of contents
• Next page

Species Information

• Name and Classification
• Description

Name and Classification

Scientific name:

Armeria maritima (Mill.) Willd. ssp. interior (Raup) Porsild

Holotype:

Vicinity of William Pt., Lake Athabasca. Sand dune country about 5 mi (8 km) south of the point. H.M. Raup 6895 (Gray Herbarium)

Synonym:

Statice interior Raup

Common name:

Athabasca thrift

Family:

Plumbaginaceae (leadwort family)

Major plant group:

dicot flowering plant

Description

Athabasca thrift is a perennial herb with a tap root and a branched woody base from which arise one to several rosettes of flat linear leaves. An erect flowering stem, to 25 cm in height, develops from the centre of each rosette. The small pink flowers are borne in a dense, nearly spherical head. The flowers are subtended by two sets of scarious bracts; the calyx tube is hairless and distinctly lobed.

Figure 1: Athabasca Thrift

Courtesy of Canadian Museum of Nature.